In the production of a magnetic tape cartridge in which magnetic tape is wound into a cartridge case, a guided end of the magnetic tape is inserted into an empty cartridge which has a reel therein and the magnetic tape is wound onto the reel as a result of rotation of the reel, by which the magnetic tape cartridge is completed.
The aforenoted has hitherto been applied to the production of video tape cartridges and audio tape cartridges. Furthermore, as to the tape winding machine which is used in the aforenoted cartridge production a machine such as that described in Japanese Patent Publication 40071/59(1984) is known. In this machine a long magnetic tape is wound, upon an empty cartridge which is disposed within the machine, by which the winding process is continuously achieved. On the other hand, there is known another type of tape winding machine in which an empty cartridge is not employed, but which is provided with a mechanism for automatically cutting and eliminating the outermost portion of the magnetic tape which is wound onto a supply reel, and disposing of the scrap tape portion as described in Japanese Patent Publication 46904/61(1961).
In the case of the production of video tape cartridges, and audio tape cartridges with the latter type of machine, it is necessary to perform sampling inspection upon the products so that the finished magnetic tape cartridges are not mixed with any defective components.
It is additionally known that, there are instances wherein magnetic tape cartridge products are characterized by defects as a result of which recording and reproduction of information is impossible when the magnetic tape cartridge is employed for the recording of digital signals used in the computer and other similar systems. These defects are mostly generated when magnetic material is coated upon the tape, and exist in specified areas of the tape. However, the magnetic tape cartridge product in which the tape is wound onto the cartridge reel should not contain defects so bad as to prevent its practical use and in particular, such defects should not exist upon those portions of the tape upon which signals are to be recorded and reproduced. The standard of quality is extremely strict because otherwise these defects cause serious interference effects whereby such cartridges cannot favorably compare with conventional video tape cartridges and audio tape cartridges. At present, it should be guarenteed that all products do not contain any defects. The inspection method for determining whether or not any defect is present comprises the method in which signals are actually recorded upon the tape and thereafter reproduced.
However, the aforenoted tape winding method has the disadvantage that magnetic tape cartridges must be individually inspected and is therefore inefficient.
Furthermore, even if an inspection for defects is performed for a long tape which is wound upon a supply reel, and defects in such tape are found, it is impossible with such conventional tape winding machines to remove only those portions of the tape which include the defects and to thereafter retain the good parts of the tape for winding for winding upon the cartridge or supply reel.
The present invention therefore aims at finding a solution to the aforenoted problems.